Captain Damian Gair said the Spuds started slowly and were lucky to trail 1-0 at halftime after a lacklustre opening term.

He said the team played some of its best hockey of the year in the second half, but they couldn’t capitalise on their chances, ending their Illawarra season.

“It was very disappointing but we cannot come out and play hockey like we did in the first half and expect to win,” Gair said.

“The second half was a different story and we played really well.”

Ben Wright scored Robertson’s only goal and was voted player’s player.

The loss means the Southern Highlands men’s first grade semi-finals will now be three weeks long, in line with the other grades.

Robertson line up against Mittagong on Sunday, with the winner to head straight into the grand final.

The loser will play Bowral in a fortnight for a spot in the decider.

Robertson finished the best of the three Highlands teams in the Illawarra competition but they are no certainties to take the title.

The Spuds have fallen away over the past three weeks and are wary of their Highlands opponents.

“Mittagong always come out and stick it to us,” Gair said.

“We are expecting a very tough game.

“They have beaten us once this year, we beat them twice.”

Robertson’s last win was a 3-2 victory against Mittagong last month.

Gair said the key to beating Mittagong was to control possession and keep the ball away from the Lions’ strikers.

Mittagong’s players will be fresh for Sunday’s clash, having had a week off last weekend.